On June 27, 2001, Maurice Jeffers became a King.
The Sacramento Kings chose Jeffers, a small forward, with their second round selection,.
He was the 55th pick overall in the National Basketball Association Draft in New York. Jeffers couldn’t be any happier.
“I liked Sacramento,” said Jeffers. “They showed great interest in me. They’ve been in the playoffs the past few years. I’m glad to be there.”
Jeffers’ career in junior college and at Saint Louis University showed why the Kings drafted him.
At Westark junior college in Arkansas, Jeffers was rated as one of the top five Juco shooting guards in the country by Ballplayers recruiting service after his sophomore year.
After transferring to SLU, Jeffers was the Billikens’ defensive stopper his junior year. He averaged 6.6 points a game (the third best on the team) and 4.3 rebounds (the fourth most on the team.)
Jeffers greatest feats didn’t show up in the box score after the game, but were crucial in the Billikens’ C-USA championship run in March 2000.
Jeffers held DePaul All-American Quentin Richardson to six points in the C-USA championship contest.
In the semifinal game against the Tulane Green Wave, Jeffers held star shooting guard Dylan Osean to only one basket.
In the quarterfinal contest, Jeffers held All-Conference forward Pete Mickael to 4-11 shooting. Jeffers was named SLU’s Defensive Player of the Year, along with center Chris Heinrich.
However, Jeffers isn’t one-dimensional. He became the team leader during his senior season. He was no longer just the defensive stopper.
Jeffers was the team leader and the number one offensive threat. Instead of stopping the opponents’ offensive threat, he was the main threat.
Jeffers was named to the C-USA All-Conference second team. He was selected as the Billikens’ MVP, Outstanding Defender and Outstanding Offensive Player.
Jeffers averaged 16 points a game (tenth in the conference) and 6.1 rebounds (14th in the conference).
Jeffers scored over 20 points in nine games. In December 2000, Jeffers was named to the Rainbow Classic All-Tournament team in Hawaii. But the tournament meant much more for Jeffers.
The Kings’ scouts at the tournament noticed Jeffers talent. Sacramento continued to scout Jeffers throughout his senior season.
“I knew that they were looking at me,” Jeffers said. “They saw a lot of our games and kept tabs on me throughout the year. They had heard about my defense, and then my offense came around.”
After his career at SLU ended, many NBA teams showed interest in Jeffers.
But the Chicago Bulls and the Kings were the only teams who invited Jeffers to workouts.
Jeffers worked out in Sacramento just two weeks before the NBA Draft.
“They (Sacramento) told me they really liked me,” Jeffers said. “They said I was one of the best players they saw. They think that I can play for them. I knew that I’d be in the mix. I sensed that if anyone would pick me it would be the Kings.”
“They had the 55th pick and told us that if he was still around, they were going to pick him,” said coach Lorenzo Romar.
“They stuck to what they had said. They drafted him because they believe he has a chance to make an impact,” Romar added.
Jeffers feels that he is entering into a perfect situation.
“I’m 22. I feel that I can go in and fit in. I met some of my teammates at the workout. They were very down-to-earth and joking around. We really didn’t talk much about basketball.”
Jeffers had many attributes to draw from.
But the best may have nothing to do with basketball skills. He can rely on and learn from the experience Romar’s experiences in the NBA.
“I told him to go out there and play for a job. That’s how he approached our season in every game and practice,” Romar said.
“Coach has been great,” Jeffers said. “All the hard work had paid off. I have to thank him. He’s responsible for it all. He told me what to expect and took me through some drills. He’s been in the league and knows what it takes.”
Jeffers new status in the NBA will have far-reaching effects for SLU’s basketball teams in the future.
“It brings you notoriety,” Romar said. “It shows you can come to Saint Louis, and we won’t hold you back from making the NBA.”
Jeffers was scheduled to arrive in Sacramento on July 5 to participate in Summer League games for the Kings.
However, Jeffers broke his left hand in a pick-up game in Arkansas and will not be able to participate in any games this summer.
He is expected to be healthy in time to participate in the Kings’ training camp this fall.
This injury is another obstacle for Jeffers to overcome. Regardless of the challenge, Jeffers attitude remains the same.
“You have to have goals,” Jeffers said. “You have to try your best to achieve them. But if you don’t, that’s fine, if you tried your best to achieve you goals.
“I’ll learn from the older players,” Jeffers said, “I expect to go in and play hard, and I’ll be OK. As long as I play the way I’m capable of playing, I think that I’ll make the roster and get playing time.”
